Samsung Galaxy Note 7 available on major US carriers on August 19, starting at $850 unsubsidized, or $35+/month with a 2 year contract
Ready to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Note 7? Or maybe you just want to know how much this bad boy is going to cost?
Context & Ripple Effects
Samsung's Note line has been ratcheting upward each August: the Galaxy Note 5 launched at $739.99 at AT&T just a year ago, and the Note 7 now opens at $850 unsubsidized — roughly a $110 step up in twelve months. The $35+/month two-year-contract framing shows carriers still anchoring flagships to installment math rather than sticker shock.
That trajectory doesn't stop here: within three years the line lands at $950 for the Note9 and $949 for the Note10, with the Note8 spanning $930–$960 across Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. The Note 7's $850 is the midpoint of that climb, making this launch the moment the sub-$800 Note disappears.
First-order effects
- US buyers deciding between carriers on August 19 face a uniform $850 entry price, with the monthly contract rate becoming the comparison shoppers actually see.
- Carriers get a premium anchor device for late-summer upgrade cycles, with per-month pricing smoothing the $850 tag across two-year commitments.
Second-order effects
- Rival flagships launching into the fall window now have to position against an $850 Note baseline, pressuring their own pricing tiers upward or forcing differentiation on bundled extras instead of price.
- Carrier marketing shifts further toward monthly-rate comparisons, since a three-digit year-over-year price increase is easier to sell as '$35+/month' than as a headline number.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, the large-screen flagship tier structurally settles around $950 — exactly where the Note8, Note9, and Note10 land — meaning the Note 7 marks the point where four-figure-adjacent pricing becomes the default for Samsung's top phones rather than the exception.
The trend: Samsung's Galaxy Note line is on a steady annual price climb from the mid-$700s toward a ~$950 flagship plateau, with carrier installment plans masking each step up.